Oksana Terletska (Fin’26)
is all about showing up as her best self and motivating others around her. That’s been true in her academic journey, as a student-athlete, and now as she starts her career as an institutional equity trading analyst at Morgan Stanley—a role she describes as her dream job.
She had another goal, too: being featured in “Faces of Leeds” before graduation. Her women’s hockey teammates made it happen with a surprise nomination.
Mia Fiscelli (StrEnt’27), president of the Women’s Ice Hockey team at 鶹ѰBoulder, wrote: “[Oksana] truly represents exactly what it means to be a leader, a trailblazer, and an inspiration within the Leeds community. … She is a first-generation college student who has already broken barriers and created opportunities for herself and every girl on her team who looks up to her.”
Engaged. Driven. Thoughtful. Genuinely committed. Those are the words her teammates used to describe her, and the recognition means a lot to Terletska. She calls her hockey teammates her second family.
Finding her edge
Terletska fell in love with hockey while watching the Chicago Blackhawks with her father. After the team's 2013 Stanley Cup win, she wanted in.
Her father had always dreamed of playing but never had the opportunity growing up in the Soviet Union. When she was 9, she convinced him to get her on skates. “My mom wanted me to do figure skating. I said, ‘Absolutely not. I want to play hockey.’”
She went on to play on Chicago’s first girls hockey team and continued through high school. 鶹ѰBoulder stood out as a place where she wouldn’t have to choose between hockey and her future.
For Terletska, the game has always been about more than competition.
“Hockey offers life lessons that can’t be taught in a classroom,” she said. “How do you handle tough losses? How do you keep moving forward? How do you show up as the best version of yourself for your teammates?”
Those lessons stay with her. “There aren't always good seasons, there aren't always good practices, but it’s staying committed even when it gets really hard.”
Carving a path in finance
While hockey shaped her approach to challenges, Terletska was equally focused on her future.
Originally interested in accounting and operations, she was increasingly drawn to finance and economics. Inspired by her father’s entrepreneurial background, she became fascinated by how financial markets connect industries around the world. “There are always questions to ask,” she said, “which leaves room to grow.”
She interned at Morgan Stanley last summer, crediting Susan Brodnicki, assistant director of student programs at Leeds’ Burridge Center for Finance. “She guided me to opportunities she believed would be great for me and that I would be interested in.”
During her internship, Terletska rotated through cash trading, algorithmic trading, futures, and securities lending—gaining a firsthand look at the trading floor’s rhythm and pressure. The environment felt like a natural fit. Having grown up in Chicago, she has always been drawn to the energy of big cities and is eager to begin her career in Manhattan.
“People say it’s the city that never sleeps. I think that’s very true.”
Aligning actions with values
What ties it all together for Terletska is discipline.
As a student-athlete, she balanced academics, practices, travel and leadership responsibilities, including serving as the team’s treasurer—a role she describes as both demanding and rewarding. The experience sharpened her ability to prioritize and stay organized, even when competing demands pulled her in different directions.
With family split between the U.S. and Ukraine, she has also learned to navigate uncertainty and stay grounded in the face of it. It all shapes how she leads.
“I’ve always been a firm believer that the best leaders lead through their actions, not their words,” she said. “They don’t always need to be the loudest person in the room.” As a senior leader on the hockey team, she focused on setting a positive example through preparation, accountability and consistency.
“I’ve always been a firm believer that the best leaders lead through their actions, not their words. They don’t always need to be the loudest person in the room.”
—Oksana Terletska (Fin’26)
“My dad always taught me to carry yourself with integrity,” she said. “If you don’t have integrity or a purpose behind your actions, how can you expect others to do the same?”
Over time, she has come to see that while technical skills can be learned, character is built through challenges and choices. “It’s about developing as a holistic person,” she said. “And I think Leeds does a phenomenal job in fostering that.”
Looking ahead
On the team, Terletska became known for sharing motivational quotes. One has become a guiding principle: “The answer will always be no if you don’t ask for the opportunity and put in the work to get there.”
Success, she believes, is not about avoiding failure. It’s about pursuing opportunities, learning from setbacks and moving forward. “The quote also reminds me that you have to put yourself out there,” she said. “Everyone brings something unique to the table, and you can't count yourself out before the race has even begun.”
While the trading floor may feel different from the hockey rink, some things will remain familiar: showing up when it’s tough, staying dedicated to a purpose and uplifting the people around her.
She’s ready to take the shot in New York.
“Everyone's super ambitious in their respective careers, and that keeps you pushing alongside the city's hustle.”